– It is the case that you should be innocent until proven guilty. I have not been here, says Sven Jarle Knoll. The 55-year-old is the used car salesman several newspapers and websites wrote about a few years ago. He was used as an example of a cowboy industry. The great attention led to several reviews from customers. – Wherever I went, people had read about me in the newspaper. In practice, this ensured that I could not trade with anyone, says Knoll. The used car seller has been several rounds in court and has been convicted twice in the district court. But the Borgarting Court of Appeal has ruled that he has not committed gross fraud when buying and selling cars. Earlier in June, he was also acquitted on all counts in the Court of Appeal for, among other things, having obstructed the child welfare service’s tasks. In total, he has now been acquitted of 46 points in various instances. – The police have obviously been more concerned with taking a man than a ball in this case here, Knoll says. Knoll’s business consisted of buying and selling old cheap cars. He found most customers through newspaper ads. Photo: Facsimile Defender: – Persecution of persons – Overall, he has received scandalous treatment, says Olle Nohlin. He has been Knoll’s defender since 2019. For the past three years, he has worked to get his client acquitted of many judgments they believe are incorrect. – It’s just to say it as it is, this is personal persecution. And that’s not how you treat people, says Nohlin. He comes with harsh criticism of the investigation of Knoll. – The police have started with him being guilty, then they have found the evidence or the clues they have been able to use to make it happen. It is against the law, says Nohlin. – Consistent weakness in the investigation In 2021, the Court of Appeal dealt with Knoll’s appeal. Here he was acquitted and the court came with harsh criticism of the police investigation. – It does not seem that much investigation has been carried out in the case, it says in the judgment from the Court of Appeal. Furthermore, it appears that none of the victims in the case have been questioned by the police. Lawyer at Matrix Advokater, Olle Nohlin has been Knoll’s defender since 2019. He believes the police have been persecuting Knoll for a number of years. Photo: Matrix Advokater The acquittal from the Court of Appeal states that Knoll has had a reprehensible conduct in its operations, but that this can not be classified as fraud. Knoll was acquitted of 35 alleged car frauds. The police advised against trading in Knoll As a used car dealer, Knoll has bought and sold an enormous number of cars. Hundreds every year. Often it is about cars in the lower price segment. With such trades, conflicts and dissatisfied customers easily arise, according to Knoll. Several chose to report him, which caused increased interest from the police. In December 2017, the Fredrikstad police chamber’s crime boss appeared in the local newspaper Fredriksstad Blad and warned against trading with Knoll’s company. Before the acquittal of Knoll in 2021, he was convicted of extensive fraud in Fredrikstad District Court two years before. The sentence was three years and two months in prison. He was also denied the right to conduct business forever. In total, Knoll has now been acquitted on 46 counts in the Court of Appeal. He does not know if he will ever start as a used car dealer again. Photo: Odd Skjerdal / news Claims against the police in Fredrikstad The warning from the police, negative media coverage and the verdict in the district court have cost Knoll dearly. With a gravelly private economy, both the house and the cottage have been sold on forced sale. Nohlin confirms that they are now demanding compensation from the police for unlawful prosecution. – Knoll og Autopris AS would not have suffered losses if Knoll was not wrongly investigated over time and prosecuted for things he was not guilty of, Knoll’s lawyer writes in the compensation claim. Furthermore, Nohlin writes that the case processing from the police involves a negligent course of action, which quite obviously puts the police in a liability for damages. However, the claim has been rejected by the prosecuting authority and the case has now been sent to the State’s civil law administration. Takes note of the verdict The Eastern Police District does not want to comment on the allegations from Knoll and his defense counsel, because the claim for compensation has not been processed by the State Civil Law Administration. But they confirm that the case is under consideration. – Our answer is that we take note of the verdict, and that means that we must also look at whether there is reason to take self-criticism on something, says police inspector Kåre Solvoll at the Eastern police district in an e-mail to news.
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Used car dealer Jarle Knoll demands NOK 103 million in restitution from the police – news Oslo and Viken – Local news, TV and radio
